KILLINGSGreyhounds too slow to win races and

also retired greyhounds are killed.

Greyhounds can live up to 14 years but in the Irish

greyhound industry, the lifespan is just 3-4 years.

On RTE's Prime Time, a spokesperson for Limerick

Animal Welfare stated: "We believe that there are

probably 10,000 greyhounds put to sleep every

year. We've had so many instances of finding them

shot, ears cut off, brutalized, drowned." In a Cork

96FM radio interview, a former Irish Greyhound

Board chairman said he believed it is "absolutely

okay" to kill thousands of dogs and that there can't

be greyhound racing without euthanasia.

LIFE-ENDING INJURIES

CRUELTY

IF YOU LOVE DOGS, DON'T GO GREYHOUND RACING

6 REASONS TO SAY NOTO GREYHOUND RACING

One of many victims: Emily's ears wereburned and she was dumped in a ditch.

Greyhounds sustain painful injuries when they slip and fall on tracks.It is very distressing to see greyhounds writhing in agony and hearing them crying out when

they crash out of races. Hundreds of injured dogs are destroyed at Irish tracks every year. The

injuries could be treated but, because this costs money and the dogs are less likely to later win

races, they are instead killed. No mercy is shown because it's cash before compassion.

"I'VE SEEN DOGSBEING SHOT.

It has to be done as there'stoo many of them to rehome"

Irish greyhound trainer

Some greyhounds are mutilated.Among the victims is an emaciated greyhound

dumped in Tipperary with her ears burned (to

remove markings which would identify the owner)

and the tip of her tail hacked off. According to

industry insiders quoted in an Irish Sun report,

this dog's case is the “tip of the iceberg” and not

an isolated incident. They added: “This type of

brutality is happening all the time. It's the dis-

gusting underbelly of the greyhound world."

DOG EXPORTSIrish greyhounds are being sent abroad tocountries with little or no animal welfare.

They are ending up in Macau where they are kept in concrete

cells and killed if they stop winning, China where they may be

sold on to the dog meat trade and boiled alive, Spain where

they are hung from trees and dumped down wells and Pakistan

where they suffer from heat exhaustion. The Irish Government

has shamefully refused to ban exports to these destinations.

ILLEGAL DOPING OF DOGSGreyhounds are illegally drugged to make them run faster or slower.

Dogs are doped by owners to influence the outcome of races so that they can win on bets. This

is why many have stopped gambling on greyhound racing. The Morris review, commissioned by

the Irish Greyhound Board itself, acknowledged that doping is a problem. A Joint Agriculture

Committee report stated: “The use of controlled and illegal substances in racing in Ireland is of

grave concern." Drugs used include stanozolol, cocaine and viagra and dogs suffer as a result.

BARBARIC BLOODINGGreyhounds are not the only animals who are suffering.The illegal blooding of greyhounds - using live rabbits, hares, kittens and

other small animals - is a cruel training method in the greyhound industry.

One Irish Independent greyhound scene journalist noted: "The bald truth is

that greyhound racing would not continue to exist without blooding. It follows

that, with a constant greyhound population of close on 30,000, blooding

must be widespread. Don't expect an admission of that from Bord na gCon."

Say NO to animal cruelty | Don't go greyhound racing

Irish Council Against Blood Sports - Working to end animal cruelty in IrelandPO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland. Find us on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter

For more information on our work or to make a donation, visit www.banbloodsports.com

More and more people are rejecting the greyhound industry. In recent years, there hasbeen a 50 per cent drop in track attendance and a 58 per cent fall in sponsorship.